Salem’s Lot is widely considered one of Stephen King’s best novels. The 1975 bestseller inspired a screen adaptation aired on CBS as a two-part, four-hour miniseries in 1979, followed by a 1987 sequel, A Return to Salem’s Lot. In 2004, the story was adapted as another miniseries for TNT. Most King fans consider ‘79 the definitive version.
Warner Bros. announced they were developing Salem’s Lot for the big screen in 2019. One pandemic, two strikes, two changed release dates, and a studio restructuring later, the film by writer-director Gary Dauberman (It, It Chapter Two) is finally set to debut on October 3. However, it’s now a Max Original that will only be seen in select theaters including Beyond Fest on September 25, 2024.
The film retells the story of Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman), a writer who returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, looking for inspiration. He almost immediately begins dating Susan Norton (Makenzie Leigh), a local girl itching to get away from small-town life.
We’re then introduced to resourceful horror fanatic Mark Petrie (Jordan Preston Carter). He’s the new kid at school and quickly establishes that he’s not one to back down from bullies. He fights back and fights better, which comes in handy when vampires start popping up. His determination earns him the respect of teacher Matt Burke (Bill Camp), who later becomes an amateur Van Helsing.
Richard Straker (Pilou Asbæk) is also a new resident of the Lot. The well-dressed European eccentric has set up an antique shop in town and rented the imposing Marsten House, the subject of Ben’s book-in-progress. His real job is being the human familiar to an ancient vampire, Kurt Barlow (Alexander Ward), recently shipped to town via crate. In the novel and TNT’s 2004 miniseries, Barlow is portrayed as a sophisticated gentleman. But just as he was in the 1979 version, the vamp’s a non-speaking, briefly seen Nosferatu-like creature.
In a deeply unsettling scene, Straker stalks young Ralphie Glick (Cade Woodward) as he walks home through the woods with his older brother, Danny (Nicholas Crovetti), snatching him up as a sacrifice for his master. Ralphie’s disappearance is followed by Danny’s mysterious death, and from there, the Lot’s population quickly dwindles.
Father Callahan (John Benjamin Hickey) is introduced as a priest struggling with alcoholism and his faith. He’s even seen drinking before a funeral, giving a sip to gravedigger Mike Ryerson (Spencer Treat Clark). Dr. Cody (Alfre Woodard) doesn’t have much to do until Mike meets his fate.
If that seems like a lot of characters to keep up with, you should see how many there are in the book and the series. Even with a 113-minute runtime, there’s just not enough build-up before people start dying. There are little to no details about Ben’s connection to the Lot, his ideas for the book he’s supposedly working on, the townspeople’s wariness of Straker, or anything about Dr. Cody’s actual life outside of work.
Despite a great cast, the chemistry between actors doesn’t sell the believability of their relationships, which could also just be how scenes are written. Even when delivered by talented performers like Woodard, Pullman, and Camp, the dialogue is often awkward and unnatural.
Any vampire tale requires suspension of disbelief. However, some viewers (especially those who haven’t read the book) may be taken out of the story by the lack of pushback about the thought of vampires invading rural Maine. Dr. Cody is resistant until she witnesses a person rising from the dead, but thankfully, she doesn’t fall victim to the “Black character who refuses to accept the paranormal” trope we so often see.
The opening credits lean into the gritty 1970s aesthetic and attempt to set the tone for what’s to follow. While the almost constant fog consuming the Lot creates a perfectly eerie atmosphere, the overall look of the film has a more modern feel to it. Director of photography Michael Burgess’s (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) cinematography is quality but is a little too glossy for anyone looking for something along the lines of other ’70s-set modern horror films like Ti West’s X, Late Night with the Devil, The Black Phone, or 2018’s Suspiria.
Nathan Barr’s (True Blood) and Lisbeth Scott’s (The Disappearance of Shere Hite) haunting score is better at maintaining a scary atmosphere, along with foreboding renditions of Gordon Light’s “Sundown,” heard in the trailer and the film, and Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man.”
The film isn’t completely without scares; although, if you’ve watched the trailer you’ve already seen them for the most part. The vampires’ glowing eyes are still unsettling, especially as they climb on rooftops and loom over the town. An undead Danny floating outside Mark’s window is a famously terrifying scene, recreated here to the same effect.
Salem’s Lot is an ambitious film adaptation of a widely beloved novel that faces an uphill battle to win over fans of the source material. While it’s effectively atmospheric and provides some genuinely creepy imagery, the rushed structure and wooden dialogue keep it from standing out as a truly scary horror film.
Salem’s Lot premieres as the opening film at the Beyond Fest on September 25 and hits Max on October 3, 2024.
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